A couple of days of 6 a.m. practices paid off for the Bulldogs, the second seed from the Southern Division.

Nikiski took a 18-14 lead at halftime, then won the second half 21-12 to advance to the semifinals.

Just four players scored for the Bulldogs, but that was more than enough due to tough defense. Rachel Thompson and Taylor Holloway each had 11 points, while Alyssa Darch had nine and Emily Lynch had eight.

Grace boys 64, Nikiski 39

The Grizzlies, the No. 2 seed in the north, overcame a slow start to topple the Bulldogs, the No. 3 seed in the south.

Grace led 13-11 after the first quarter, but after that Nikiski could not keep up. Grace led 27-16 by halftime.

The Grizzlies put four in double figures — Hans Karlberg with 14, Eric Johnson with 11, Josh Laker with 11 and Alex Fancher with 10.

Nikiski countered with one player in double figures — Seth Carstens with 17.

Houston boys 49, Skyview 44

The Panthers, the No. 2 seed from the south, gave the Hawks, the No. 3 seed from the north, a much closer contest than a few weeks ago.

After the score was tied at 15 at halftime, Houston got it going offensively in the third quarter, bursting to a 34-24 lead. Skyview then scored 20 in the final frame, but Houston’s 15 was enough to hold off the Panthers.

Both teams left points off the board at the foul line — Skyview was 4-of-15, while Houston was 6-of-13.

Matt Barron had 15 points for Houston, while Mitchell Ruta pitched in with 11.

For the Panthers, Jacob Carlson led the fourth-quarter charge, scoring 11 of his 18 points in the final frame. Kaleb Henderson added 10 for Skyview.

ACS girls 60, Skyview 15

On the first day of the tournament, the Lions, the top seed from the north, were as good as advertised.

Sarah Geagel poured in 21 points as the Lions grabbed a 28-5 halftime lead en route to victory. Michelle Coderre and Dallas Dickerson added 12 for the Lions.

For Skyview, Sam Reynolds had seven points.

Seward boys 39, Cordova 35

The Seahawks, the No. 1 seed from the south, held on against the Wolverines, the No. 4 seed from the north.

Seward led 9-7 after the first period, but the score was tied at 20 at halftime. Both teams scored just four points in the third quarter, while the Seahawks chalked up a 15-11 advantage in the fourth quarter.

Jeff Buchanan had 14 points for the Seahawks, while Matthew Moore added 12. Jacob Werner had 23 points for the Wolverines, including seven 3-pointers.

Seward girls 51, Grace 30

The Seahawks, the top seed from the south, trailed by one after the first quarter but took control against Grace, No. 4 from the north, after that.

Tessa Adelmann had 17 points for Seward, including nine in the second quarter to help Seward pull away. Jasmine Perea added 10 points.

Grace’s top scorer was Mary Hogan with nine points.

Houston girls 55, Homer 34

It was bombs away for the Hawks in the opening-round win.

Houston canned eight 3-pointers in cruising to victory. NeNe Hale led the barrage with five 3-pointers en route to a game-high 27 points. Lashawna Lee had two 3-pointers and scored 16 points.

For Homer, Tayla Cabana pumped in 17 points a day.

ACS boys 69, Homer 32

The Lions, the No. 1 seed from the north and the favorite coming into the tournament, wasted little time asserting their dominance.

ACS led 57-15 by halftime and hit 10 3-pointers in the game.

Augustus Simmers had 16 to lead the Lions, while Sam Reinert had 16 for Homer.